Disclaimer: This post will most likely interest digital artists and is more technical than my usual posts :)

As a digital artist, my drawing equipment is very important to me. Almost all my work is done directly on the computer. I occasionally break out a sketchbook for developing ideas, characters, or layouts but most everything is digital.

Until now, I’ve been drawing with a Wacom Intuos3 6 x 11 inch pen tablet on a 24″ iMac. It’s been a great setup for the past couple years but since the birth of my son, efficient work flow and time management have become of utmost importance. I have limited time to work: 1 – 2 hours during the day when my son naps and 2 – 4 hours in the evenings (the evening time varies depending on how much time I want to spend with my hubby!). Because of my limited time, I felt the need to examine my current setup and see if there were ways to become more efficient producing work.

“The Modbook is the revolutionary slate-style tablet that enables users to draw, sketch and write directly on the screen” – Axiotron Website. The Modbook uses a Macbook base and is ‘modded’ to include the tablet. Drawing right on the screen of my computer would definitely increase efficiency as this ability most closely mimics drawing on paper. My old setup of drawing with a tablet on my desk while looking up at my computer is disjointing and unnatural. I often found myself redrawing the same line many times just to get it right. This was frustrating and made my illustrations take much longer.

So I purchased a Modbook. I was excited to be able to draw on screen and also be able to carry this laptop around and draw anywhere I go (might come in handy while following a toddler around). After the excitement of receiving my Modbook wore off, I started to settle in with it and tried to establish a new work flow. To my surprise, I was very displeased with my new setup and definitely DID NOT feel like it was improving my work flow or use of time.

The following were my issues with the Modbook:

1. Because of mod, there is no keyboard on the laptop. I use keyboard shortcuts ALL the time while illustrating, and I wasn’t able to set up the palettes in a way that made my work flow as efficient as using a keyboard. I do have a wireless keyboard but setting myself up in order to use it effectively would mean being at a desk and therefore defeating the benefit of the Modbook being portable.
2. The screen is very small (13 inch) and difficult to work with in comparison to my 24 inch iMac (especially with all the extra palettes open).
3. The Macbook itself is not very powerful and load/save times are slow.
4. Most importantly, the pen reaction time and calibration were impossible (for me) to adjust to and it became harder to draw digitally than before. Whenever I wanted to draw near the sides or corner of the screen, the calibration was way off. The pen sensitivity is also HALF of what I was used to with my Wacom. The drawing experience was poor.
5. I found the idea of holding the laptop and drawing in my lap appealing but the reality of it was that the calibration needed changing every time I changed the angle of the computer or adjusted my seating position.

SUMMARY: Overall I found the Modbook size to be confining, the lack of keyboard reduced my efficiency, the pen sensitivity and accuracy was half of what I was used to with my Wacom, and the portability factor was no longer as appealing when dealing with difficult calibration.

This is where my wonderfully loved Wacom Cintiq 21UX comes in! After being very disappointed with my Modbook (especially at the price point – which I should mention is the same as the Cintiq 21UX), I decided to exchange it for a Cintiq. Am I ever glad I made the exchange! The Wacom Cintiq is a large screen display that you can draw directly on and is the leading tool for professional artists, illustrators, animators, photographers, etc.

The following is why I LOVE my Cintiq 21UX:

1. The screen is 21 inches and gives me TONS of room to draw.
2. The pen sensitivity and calibration are top notch and just what I’m used to from my previous Wacom Intuos 3.
3. I am able to use all my keyboard shortcuts. I’ve set up the Cintiq on my desk with a keyboard and second monitor.
4. There are touch pads and quick link buttons on either side that can be programmed for additional shortcuts.

To finalize, I ultimately bought the Modbook because I was interested in the portability factor but realized that a better quality drawing experience is more important to me. The Cintiq has surpassed all my expectations and I couldn’t recommend it any more highly. It has made drawing on the computer more fluid, efficient, and enjoyable!

Rachelle Anne Miller stamps, produced by STAMPAVIE now have an Angel Policy!

This policy is intended for stampers who love to craft and want to make some extra money on the side by selling the cards they produce with my designs. In order to continue to protect my rights as an artist but also allow a bit more freedom for you, there are a few guides to follow with this new policy (see below). I hope that by doing this, it’ll allow many of you to continue creating beautiful cards and perhaps even earn a little extra cash on the side :o)

The following restrictions apply to our Angel Policy:

1. Each project should be crafted by the individual and must be hand stamped.

2. Any artwork created using Rachelle Anne Miller designs must not infringe third-party copyrighted material.The artist must accept full responsibility for his or her artwork.

3. Electronic, mechanical, freehand, or graphic reproduction (such as scanning or photocopying) is strictly prohibited.

4. A maximum of 100 hand-stamped items is permitted.

5. Credit for the stamped images and ©Rachelle Anne Miller by STAMPAVIE must appear on the back of your items.

6. Rachelle Anne Miller or STAMPAVIE may amend its policies governing the use of its copyrighted designs and images, including the Angel Policy, at any time. Amendments to such policies are effective upon publication unless otherwise noted and will be posted on the official Rachelle Anne Miller or STAMPAVIE website. We reserves the right to deny or terminate permission to use Rachelle Anne Miller designs and images with respect to any particular person.

I’m often asked if I use watercolours for my illustrations. I do all my illustrations on the computer – they are completely digital. You can view my 8-Step Illustration process here. I definitely try to make my illustrations look like watercolours (my favorite medium) but it’s all through the magic of Photoshop!

This is a quick 4-step tutorial to show you how to finish off an illustration and truly make it look like a scanned-in piece of artwork. This is just a taste of the things you can do with Photoshop filters. I plan to write more similar tutorials to help you in your exploration of digital art. This tutorial has been written for someone who is somewhat familiar with Photoshop. If it’s too complicated or you need further explanation on how to do a step, please let me know!

STEP 1 – OPEN YOUR IMAGE
Open the image you’d like to transform into a watercolour painting. (NOTE: Make sure your image is NOT part of the background. It should be on its own layer. If it is part of the background, double click on the layer and click ‘ok’ to take it off of the background.) Make a duplicate of this layer (you now have 2 layers of your image).

STEP 2 – WATERCOLOUR FILTER
Select your duplicate layer. Go to Filter -> Artistic -> Watercolour
(Use the following inputs: Brush Detail: 14, Shadow Intensity: 0, Texture: 3)

STEP 3 – LAYER OPTIONS
Change your layer mode to Hard Light and change your layer opacity to 35%.
Merge your layer down with your first layer (now you’re back to 1 layer)
Select your layer. Go to Filter -> Texture -> Texturizer
(Use the following inputs: Scale: 120%, Relief: 2)

STEP 4 – 3D EFFECT
Select your layer, rotate it slightly and add a faint drop shadow for a 3D paper effect. To add a drop shadow, you must double click on your layer to bring up the Layer Styles. Choose ‘Drop Shadow‘ and customize the drop shadow to your liking!

And VOILA! Was this tutorial helpful? Too hard or too easy? I’d love to hear your feedback! :o)

Haha, ok sorry for the dramatic headline… but this is pretty cool stuff!

I want to give you a brief overview of RSS and how it can transform the way you read your favorite blogs! You may have visited my site and noticed the RSS icon located in the top left. You may have also noticed a similar icon on other blogs you visit (often to the right of the browser’s URL field). RSS allows you to read all your favorite blogs from one place. The RSS Reader will check each of you favorite blogs (approx. every 30min) and will update your reader with all the new posts from your favorite blogs- without you having to lift a finger!

I’ve illustrated a diagram below that explains how the setup will work:

The first thing you’ll need to do to take advantage of RSS, is to set up an account with an RSS Reader. I use Google Reader. There are several other online RSS readers, as well as desktop programs that you can use. After setting up an account, you’ll need to visit your favorite blogs and click on the RSS icon. Once you click on the icon, you’ll be able to add that blog to your reader and voila!

Now you only have to check your reader for updates from your favorite blogs – you only have one place to visit instead of many! I still like to visit blogs directly, but having Google Reader allows me to stay up to date with so many more blogs than I’d be able to without it! I’ve subscribed to over 200 blogs, and it would be way too difficult to access them each individually everyday. Google Reader immediately shows me which ones have been updated and I can read them all right there – a life changing program if you ask me! :)

For an excellent explanation of RSS and how it works, you can also visit this link.